“We the undersigned registered voters of the City of San Diego, California, hereby present this petition to the City Council of the City of San Diego, California and ask that the City Council repeal, or submit to the registered voters of the City for their adoption or rejection that legislative act adopted by the City Council on the 23rd day of February, 2015 as Resolution No. R-309505.”

Shocked by the 7 to 2 vote approving the oversized, zoned out One Paseo development (Resolution R-309505), San Diego neighborhoods as far flung as Bay Park and City Heights are joining Carmel Valley residents in a referendum drive that – with at least 5% of the registered voters or about 33,000 signatures - would require the San Diego City Council to either reverse their decision or put it on a citywide ballot.

Planning Leaders Join Community Campaign
to Overturn One Paseo Decision Left to right: Joe LaCava, Chair of the City of San Diego Community Planners Committee; Bob Fuchs, Founder of What Price Main Street (WPMS); Robert Freund, WPMS; Diana Scheffler, Mitigate One Paseo (MOP); Council Member Dwight Worden, City of Del Mar; Janie Emerson, President East Bluffs Community Association; Council Member Terry Sinnott, City of Del Mar; Pam Slater Price, former San Diego County Supervisor, District 3; Supervisor Dave Roberts, San Diego County Supervisor, District 3; San Diego City Council President Sherri Lightner; former San Diego City Councilmember Ed Harris; Dee Rich, Vice Chair Torrey Pines Community Planning Board & MOP; Lisa Ross, Del Mar Mesa Community Planning Board; Eileen Huffman, MOP; Kathryn Burton, Chair of the Torrey Hills Community Planning Board. Courtesy of Protect San Diego’s Neighborhoods. Click on image to enlarge.

“The San Diego City Council made a mockery of the city’s planning process when it approved the controversial One Paseo project …over the objections of four community planning boards,” Lisa Ross, Del Mar Mesa Planning Board said. “A few wonder why they even bother.” “A cold blast hit the citizens of San Diego when the Council approved the One Paseo project over the objections of thousands. The people lost, the process lost, democracy lost,” said Noel Spaid, chair Torrey Pines Community Planning Board. “Beware your neighborhood is next.”

San Diego City Council President Sherri Lightner, one of the two no votes (Vice Chair Marti Emerald was the second), joined a March 11 press conference with other community leaders including Supervisor Dave Roberts, San Diego County Supervisor, District 3, Del Mar Councilmembers Terry Sinnott and Dwight Worden, San Diego Community Planners Committee Chair Joe La Cava and Torrey Pines Community Planning Group Vice Chair Dee Rich, to support the referendum. As we go to press signature gatherers are spreading throughout San Diego confident they will meet the March 25th deadline.

City Councilmembers who voted to approve the project are getting direct feedback. A Del Mar Heights resident, who received a letter from Councilmember David Alvarez citing his support of neighborhoods and appealing for re-election support, wrote back: “You have got to be kidding! We gave you money and support because we believed your promises about caring for our neighborhoods. We will never forget the ‘slap in the face’ you gave us in return by voting for Paseo. Now my entire 2015-16 budget for helping local Democrats is going to be spent on the referendum to overturn your decision.” Another resident wrote Francine Busby, SD County Democratic Chair, after getting an appeal for funds: “None of the local, regional, state or national Democratic Party groups became involved (in the One Paseo controversy)… Our money is important when you and your party need support, while our lives and our community are not?”

What’s Next? Signatures on the petition shall be verified by the City Clerk within 30 days of filing. The City Clerk will verify the results of the signature verification. After a referendary petition has been qualified and presented to the City Council, the Council must reconsider the legislative act within ten business days. If the City Council refuses to grant the petition to repeal the act the Council must submit the matter to the voters. The matter may be considered at the next city-wide primary or general election or at a separate special election. Stay tuned.